Machine for removing shoes from lasts



3 Sheets-Sheet l -W. D. MCKEON MACHINE FOR REMOVING sHQEs FROM LAsTs May 10, 1949.

Filed 0st. 11, 1947 MACHINE FOR REMOVING SHOES FROM LASTS Filed Oct. 11, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tg' 10m as 11o 92 l EE" ll \`l- 106 I \.96F. 8 a4 n L 102v J0 102 y V m nvenfor May 10, 1949. w. D. Mcm-:0N

MACHINE FOR REMOVING SHOES FROM LASTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed oct. 11, 1947 By s orney Patented May 10, v1949 2,469,471 MACHINE FOR REMVING SHOES FROM LASTS William D. McKeon, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. E., a corporation oi New Ilersey Application October 11, 1947, Serial No. 779,396

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to machines for effecting relative movement between shoes and their lasts and, more particularly, to machines of the type commonly referred to in the manufacture of shoes as last-pulling machines. The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine in which the requisite shoe-removing traction is imparted to a shoe-engaging element by a novel operating member.

Moving the rear portion of a shoe upper height- Wise relatively to the last over which the shoe has been formed is ordinarily the most dicult step in last pulling. To accomplish such relative movement of the shoe, a machine must overcome progressive resistance due to the heightwise curvature of the last and to the very slight yieldability of upper leathers and fabrics without causing undue strain or marring. For an example of a last-pulling machine in which relative movement is performed by the operation of a shoe-engaging tool in the form of a driven concentric roll, reference may be had to United States Letters Patent No. 1,820,952 granted September l, 1931, upon the application of John M. Whelton and Arthur F. Pym. Further reference may be had to United States Letters Patent No. 1,882,083, granted October 11, 1932, upon the application of G. A. Miner, in which a last-pulling machine is disclosed having in its organization flexible sheet material cooperating with a cylindrical roll to effect relative movement of a shoe and its last.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved machine which is simple in construction and operation for effecting the relative heightwise movement of the back portion of a shoe and its last.

In accordance with this object, one feature of the present invention resides in the provision of friction means, including a tool mounted for eccentric motion engageable with the rear portion. oi a shoe upper to move the shoe relatively to a last upon which the shoe is mounted. As shown herein, the eccentrically mounted tool is arranged to press an intermediate member progressively into engagement with the rear portion of each successively presented lasted shoe to move the shoe relatively to its last.

A further feature ci the invention consists in the provision of means which assist the operator in properly presenting lasted shoes to the machine and then withdrawing them. With a single hand movement the lasted shoe may be guided against a gage where it is correctly positioned, regardless of shape or size, for engage- Z ment with an eccentric roll and cooperating belt While the last is held upon a last-pin. Withdrawal from the roll and belt of the last `and its shoe partially separated therefrom is then accomplished with the assistance of cooperating springs.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more fully described in connection with the illustrative machine and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an illustrative machine for separating shoes from their lasts in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III- 111 lof Fig. 1, the main frame of the machine being omitted and showing a conventional variable drive arrangement;

Fig. 4 is a vertical View of a shoe about to be worked upon and indicating the driven eccentric tool at one stage of operation, some of the parts being shown as sectioned on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating the position of the tool at a subsequent stage of its operation on a lasted shoe;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VI-VI of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a plan View of the mechanism shown in Fig 6;

Fig, 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view, in front elevation and partly in sectionI on the line IX-D of Fig. 10, showing details of the last-pin mounting and slide;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line X-X of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a section on the line XI-XI of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 12 is an elevational View indicating accessibility of the eccentric roll and cooperating belt.

The illustrated machine has a hollow frame I0 (Figs. 1 and 2) which houses in its lower compartments driving mechanism later to be described. An eccentric roll bearing the general designation 23 (Figs. 4 land 5) comprises a metal hub 25 eccentrically mounted on an unsupported or outboard end portion of a horizontal shaft 32 having its opposite end portion journaled in bearing stands 34, 36 lsecured to the upper portion of the frame l0, and a resilient rubber annulus 25 which' is bonded to the hub 26 and is substantially concentric therewith. For supporting the rubber annulus against excess radial distortion due to operations which will hereinl after be described, retaining discs 21 partially cover both ends of the roll 23 and may be aixed to the hub '26. The roll 23 has its eccentric axis rearward of shoes to be operated on (Figs. 1 and 2) and is partly enclosed in a hood. il secured to the frame HJ. A sh0e-engaging member in the form of a resilient endless belt 28, also preferably of rubber or rubber composition, is loosely suspended about the continuously driven eccentric roll 23 on horizontal idler" rolls 39': which are supported within the hood l l. The belt 29 is periodically touched by the projecting, surfacev ofthe' eccentrically rotating annulus '25. to urgeV the belt intermittently over the rolls 30 at a rate dependent on the speed of the shaft 32.y andv these operative contacts between belt and roll occur in the locality of engagement between belt and shoe.

The position of two of the idler rolls 39 situated adjacent to the back of.v the shoe issuch as to provide for upward progress of the belt 28 andpreierably along a path inclined. slightly rear* wardly from the vertical-f. A door 37 hinged to the hood Ill (see Fig. 12) is positioned at the unn suported end of the shaft 32 to permit ready access,- to the roll and the endless belt. This arrangement enables an operator conveniently to remove the belt 29 and. toy replace it in` materials appropriate to the texture and color of the shoes in hand without they necessity the machine.

An upper portieri of the fra-me 1.9 inthe form of al shelf supports a boss 38 (Figs. l and 2). A

for disassembly of hand wheel dit which may be turned. on thrust washers 42 of the boss 3'8fis in threaded engagement with a tubular jack M. A bracket 50 for supporting the jack 44 is in the form of an upright cylindrical. jacket having atangential vertical piate through which bolts 49A extend to secure the bracket to the frame lil. An upper and a lower bushing 5|- inserted in the bracket 59 engage the jack, the lower bushing 51' also engaging the upper end face of the hub of the hand wheel. G9. A locking key held stationary' in the bracket 50 projects into a vertically' eX- tending keyway- 48 of the jack (I4-to prevent rotation of the latter as the hand wheel 4B is turnedv to raise or lower the jack.

A dovetailed guide-block 5-2 (see Figs. 9, 10v and 11) has a depending stem 45 which is inserted in the upper end of being positioned centrally in front of the eccentric roll 23 (Fig. l), and is prevented from turni-- ing on the jack by apin 54. A slide. E8: in dovetailed engagement with the guide-block 52 carries a last-pin 99 which is mounted in and extends upwardly from a barrel 60. A locking screw 62 secures the barrel 69 to the slide- 58. A wearing. piece` 92 toV be inserted intothe thimbles of lasts, having a collar 64 for engaging the back cones of such lasts, ts over the upper end of the last-pin 99 and is locked to it by a tapered pin 68.

The lower portion of the barrel 69 is rectangular in cross section (Fig. 11)- an-d a horizontal transverse slot 'l2 extends across its bottom (Fig. 1G). A collar 'i9 is threaded into the bottom of the barrel to hold a spring 68 (Fig. 9') in com-- pression against the low-er end of the Wearing piece 92. The lower end of the. last-pin 9! is enlarged beneath the collar 19? andv is provided: with ears ifi for engagement with the slot 72" to lock the last-pin 99 against rotary movement' the jack 44, the block 52' 4 lower end of the last-pin 99 is bifurcated to receive two S-shaped detents 'I8 fulcrumed on a pin 76.

The detents it are limited in counterclockwise movement about the pin l (Fig. l0) by their normal contact with the last-pin 95.9, while clockwise movement of the detents 73 is yieldably resisted by springs B2 which are retained by lugs 89 on the detents. Each detent 'i8 has a tooth 94' (Figs. 10 and 11) which is arranged to engage the teeth of. a horizontal rack 8S upon slight depression of the last-pin 99, the teeth 818 being spaced apart longitudinally of the rack by a small' length equivalent to half the thickness of a tooth in the. rack 99. This oset of the teeth iid with respect to the rack is such as to secure effective and iine adjustment in position of the last pin 99 along the rack. The teeth of the rack 86 are inclined to the right as viewed in Fig. 10. It will be apparent that in movement of the lastpin 99 toward the eccentrically mountedv roll 23, even though the last-pin is depressed, the teeth 84v are permitted teeth of the rack 85, whereas the slightly depressedv last'-pin may not be retracted from the roll 23 beca-use of the register of one of the teeth 94' with a; tooth of the rackv at, the tooth 94 being urged to register by its associated spring 82'. If the spring 66 be permitted to raise the lastpin 90 slightly, however, the spring 82 cannot maintain engagement between its detent 'i8 and` A pair of pins 56 extend down through the slide 58 and abut the ends respectively of a pair of compression springs 6I housed in horizontal parallel slots 53 in the dovetailed portion of the guide-block 52. The opposite ends of the springs 6l are held in the slots 53 by lugs 55 secured to the guide-block 52. Longitudinal movement of the last-pin 99 and the slide 58 over the rack 86 is, accordingly, yieldingly resisted in one di rection by the compression of the springs tl. A gage-stand 918 (Figs. 6, 7 and 8) is mounted adjacent to a shoulder of the shaft 32, the latter being free to rotate in the gage-stand on a ball bearing 33 (Figs. 6 and 8). A collar 96 afxed to the shaft 32 prevents said gage-stand.

, tacts the base of the gage-stand when no shoe is being operated upon and prevents any tendency of the gage-stand 94 to revolve in one direction aboutl the shaft 32, due to operations which will hereinafter be explained, while any tendency of the gage-stand to revolve in an opposite direction is opposed by the resistance of a spring 98 (Fig. 6) vertically supported by an arm E99 anxed to the frame i9. The supporting shoulder IDG of a gage i9@ is slidable in a slot m5 (Figs. 6 and 7) in the gage-stand 92 and an ear 593 is integral with the gage-stand 91E. An adjust'- ing screw H9, one end of which is held the ear |08, extends through the internally threaded supporting shoulder 9E of the gage I 94 and, upon rotation, adjustably' moves the gage toward or away from the shaft 32 for purposes which willv hereinafter appear.

A pinY H2 (Figs. 1 and 2) commonly termed a stripper may be bolted on'. the upper shelf' portion. or the.l frame I9 and' arranged' to supportv to travel over the` a last while the separation of a shoe therefrom is manually completed.

In the bot-tom compartment of the machine an electric motor l with its pulley 2 provides operating power and is suspended from a bracket 6 bolted to the frame I0. Mounted on the bracket 6 is a conventional variable drive arrangement having a housing 8 (Fig. 3) in which horizontal shafts 'I and 9 are journaled for carrying split V-type pulleys 3 and 5, respectively, and pulleys I3 and I2, respectively. Each of the pulleys 3 and 5 has a pair of conical flanges which are movable axially toward and from each other. A belt 22 (Figs. l and 2) from the motor pulley 2 drives the pulley I3. As the specific construction of the variable drive mechanism does not form a part of the present invention it is not described in detail. Pin I4 and I5 are located on suitable frame members (not shown) attached to the housing 8. These pins I4 and I5 serve as pivots about which a pair of arms IB and l1, respectively, are arranged to fulcrum. With the arms IG and I7 moving on their pivots, their corresponding and adjacent split pulley sections move accordingly, each section being connected to an arm by conventional construction. It suffices to state that each split pulley section of pulley 3 or 5 is provided with a flanged hub upon upon which a yoke is adapted to freely rotate. Each yoke has a pin which extends within a slot formed longitudinally of an arm I6 or Il. Right and left threads on a shifting screw I3 pass through and are in threaded engagement with shifting nuts each having a pin extending through a slot in the end of an arm I6 or I'I and, accordingly, turning of the screw I8 by means of a hand wheel 20 on the outside of the housing 8 simultaneously positions the arms I5 and I'I on the shafts i and 9. For example, as the pivoted arms IE and Il are thus moved away from each other on the shaft 'I, the conical sections of the pulley 3 are caused to separate from each other, while opposite ends of the arms I6 and l1 and the conical sections of the pulley 5 on shaft 9 are caused to move toward each other. As the two sections of a V-pulley separate, its V-belt will turn on a smaller effective diameter thereof. A V-type endless belt 24 connects the split pulleys 3 and 5, and a belt I9 conveys operating power from the pulley I2 to a pulley 35 mounted on shaft 32. Having adjusted the hand wheel 20 to provide a larger Aturning radius for the belt 24 on the pulley 5 and a smaller turning radius for the belt 20 as it passes over the pulley 3, it will be apparent that the rotative speed of shaft 9 will be less than that of shaft 'i and that consequently a lesser speed will be transmitted to the operating shaft 32 than is provided by the motor pulley 2.

In operation an inverted last L with a shoe S thereon is mounted on the wearing piece 92. The jack 44 carrying the wearing piece 92 has been adjusted vertically by turning of the hand wheel 40 to position properly the counter of the shoe heightwise of its localityv of engagement with the gage I04 and the belt 28. The motor may be run continuously, always rotating the eccentric roll 23 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. Speed of rotation of the mechanism including the eccentrically mounted roll 23 is regulated by the turning of the hand wheel 20 to accommodate the work capacity of the operator or to serve as his pacemaker, as well as to control the rate of operation at which progressive driving pressure and traction is to be applied to the shoe by the belt 28. Adjusting the operating speed in this manner is particularly desirable in working on shoe uppers which may be of a large variety of leathers or fabrics to assure that traction imparted by the mechanism does not mar or unduly strain them.

The lasted shoe S mounted on the wearing piece 92 is moved by hand with the slide 58 over the guide-block 52 toward the axis of the eccentric roll 23 until its approach is limited by the back of the shoe or its heel contacting the gage I04, as indicated in Fig. 5. Previous setting of the screw H0 adjusts the position of the gage I04 so that successive shoes of any size and style are then properly located to be depressed while still in contact with the gage I04 and have their rearward portions properly presented for engagement with the belt 28. The gage I04 also serves to permit engagement of the shoe with the belt 28 only when the belt is pressed into such contact by the eccentric roll 23. It will be apparent that by reason of its eccentric mounting the roll 23 is sequentially engageable frictionally with the belt to drive the back portions of successive shoe uppers heightwise of their lasts. A slight depressing of the lasted shoe by hand causes the wearing piece 92 to `compress ythe spring 66 and also results in one of the two detent teeth 84 engaging the rack 86 so as to hold the last and the shoe relatively to the eccentric roll in the position determined by the gage |04. During approximately the first half of the upward operating stroke of the roll progressively increasing pressure and traction due to its eccentricity are applied through the resilient annulus 25 and the belt 28 to the shoe. This is in accord with normal requirements since an increasing resistance must be overcome as the counter portion is moved over the curvature of the back of the last. The lateral thrust of the roll is prevented from displacing the last and shoe forwardly, however, due to the aforementioned detent and rack engagement and the operator is thereby enabled to maintain the shoe in frictional contact with the upwardly driving belt.

Normally, depressing a lasted shoe while maintaining its contact Ywith the gage I04 is to be effected by the operator each time the eccentric roll 25 is about to swing into that portion of the belt 23 next to engage a shoe. Each upwardly swinging stroke of the eccentric roll 23 thus progressively presses successive portions of the resilient belt 28 into engagement with the rear portion of a shoe. While belt and shoe are in contact they partake of the upward driving action imparted frictionally by the resilient eccentric roll so as to be shifted upwardly relatively to the stationary last. Meanwhile, the upward swing of the gage I04 with its stand 94 is yieldingly resisted by the spring 90 until the shoe has separated from the gage 64 when the gage will return to its normal position and the gage-stand 94 will abut the stop E02. The shoe having been raised relatively to its last, the operator permits the spring 66 to raise the last-pin 90 and springs 82 cooperate to disengage the detent 'I8 from the rack 86. The springs 6i may then cause the wearing piece 92 carrying the last with its partially separated shoe to withdraw toward a position where they may be readily taken on the machine. It will be noted that treadle mechanism for accomplishing relative movement of the operating member and the lasted shoe is eliminated. Up to this point, the operator may have conveniently performed all movements with his left hand alone. He may now vreach with lhis left hand 'for the neXt shoe to be operated upon while his right hand may utilize the stripper H2 completely to separate the shoe previously operated on from its last.

'Successive shoes may be easily presented and conveniently held during movement from their lasts, the shoes being guided into consecutive operative engagements with the resilient belt just as the 'periodic upward motion and traction oi the latter 'are about to be imparted by the eccentric roll. A rproper speed reduction setting of the variable drive mechanism normally enables progressive portions of the outside belt surface and the opposite inner belt surface to come into engageient respectively with the shoes and the eccentric roll so as to almost entirely eliminate frictional marring of the shoes, and the effective wearing period or both eccentric roll and cooperating belt is thereby prolonged.

vIt will be understood that an eccentric tool may be arranged to progressively engage a lasted shoe to move the shoe relatively to its last without the cooperation oi an intermediate member. The use oi an intermediate member such as the belt 28 is preferred, however, to assure smoothness of operation and other advantages. Also, it will be appreciated that to obtain sequential shoe engagements the eccentric tool itself may take the form of a cam member having more than one projecting contact surface, although a tool in the form of an eccentric cam member having a single projecting Contact surface, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is preferred.

By the words lasted shoe, as used herein, is meant a shoe fitted over a last on which the shoe is being formed and constructed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. A machine for operating on shoes comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, an intermediate resilient member arranged to be pressed against the rear portions oi lasted shoes successively placed on said support, and a rotatable eccentric roll for intermittently and progressively pressing the member and simultaneously shifting the position of said member with the rear portions of said shoes relatively to their lasts.

2. A machine for operating on shoes comprising a support for a last with a shoe thereon, friction means engageable with the back portion of the lasted shoe upper, a driven eccentrically mounted roll included in said friction means, a slide for guiding the back of the lasted shoe n said support into operative position for engagement with said friction means, and positive means for maintaining the shoe in such position whereby the shoe is moved relatively to the last.

3. A machine for removing shoes from lasts, comprising frictional shoe-engaging means including an ec-centrically mounted driven roll, a support for a last having a shoe thereon, said support being movable to a position wherein the back portion of the shoe is engageable by said means, a gage for limiting movement of the shoe toward the eccentric axis of said roll, and mechanism associated with said support for positively locking the last support in iiXed position relatively to the eccentric axis of the roll, said shoe-engaging 8 means serving to move the vback portion of the shoe relatively to the stationary last.

4. A machine for removing a shoe from a .last having, in combination, a support for said last, a resilient member adapted rictionally to engage the rear portion of a shoe upper on said last, means including an eocentrically mounted tool rotatable 'to move said member into and out of operative engagement with said shoe, and means for holding said last support from being displaced by the pressure or said member during said engagement.

5. A machine for removing shoes from lasts having, in combination, a support for successive lasts having shoe uppers thereon, a slide on which said support is movably mounted, a gage limiting movement of shoes on said support to a predetermined position, and means including an eccentrically mounted tool rotatable to apply progressive pressure on said shoe uppers successively when the shoes occupy said position to effect relative movement between the shoes and their lasts.

5. A machine for operating on shoes comprising a friction mechanism, a driven eccentric roll included in said friction mechanism, a movable support for a lasted shoe, means for guiding the support to bring the rear of the shoe upper into a position for frictional engagement with said mechanism, and means for maintaining vcontact of said shoe upper with said mechanism whereby progressive pressure is imparted by said mechanism to move the shoe relatively to the last.

7. A machine for operating on shoes comprising an eccentrically mounted roll, means for driving said roll at a speed controllable at will, a support for a lasted shoe, said support being movable to and from an operating position, and an endless belt positioned adjacent to said roll and arranged, when pressed by said roll against a lasted shoe on said support while the support is in operating position, to partake of the traction ci said roll and by frictional engagement with the shoe to move the shoe relatively to the last.

8. A machine for removing shoes from lasts comprising a rotatable driven eccentric roll, a shoe-engaging member positioned loosely to cooperate with said roll, a support for a lasted shoe, means for guiding the support toward and away from said shoe-engaging member, and means for locking 'the support vin position whereby said member and the back portion of the shoe may be subjected to driving action imparted by the eccentric roll to move the rear portion of the shoe relatively to its last.

WILLIAM D. MCKEON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,882,083 Miner Oct. 1l, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Y 416,858 Great Britain Sept. 24, 1934 

